


Picture Perfect

by Lalikaa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, Nara Park, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 05:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17975327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalikaa/pseuds/Lalikaa
Summary: It had all started with Hitoka mentioning how she would love to go to the Deer Park in Nara, and of course Shouyou immediately caught on to the idea like a fire in a paper factory.“We should roadtrip it! Tsukki, you’ve got your license, right?” Shouyou exclaimed as they were hanging out at Hitoka’s apartment one afternoon only a few days after their graduation; he was practically vibrating with excitement. (Kei had given up insisting only Tadashi could call him ‘Tsukki’ sometime during their second year).“I’m,” Kei started, nearly choking on his next words, “-begging you, let’s just take the bullet train. Besides, why do you want to go to Nara so badly when you already have wild deer in your backyard?”





	Picture Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic last year for the Karasuno First Years Zine, "Birds of a Feather", in which I was also the head mod! This was the first zine I had ever modded, and it holds a very special place in my heart, as does this fic! I based the fic off my own adventure to Nara Deer Park a few years ago. I hope you all enjoy! :)

It had all started with Hitoka mentioning how she would love to go to the Deer Park in Nara, and of course Shouyou immediately caught on to the idea like a fire in a paper factory.

“We should roadtrip it! Tsukki, you’ve got your license, right?” Shouyou exclaimed as they were hanging out at Hitoka’s apartment one afternoon only a few days after their graduation; he was practically vibrating with excitement. (Kei had given up insisting only Tadashi could call him ‘Tsukki’ sometime during their second year).

“I’m,” Kei started, nearly choking on his next words, “-begging you, let’s just take the bullet train. Besides, why do you want to go to Nara so badly when you already have wild deer in your backyard?”

“What, so you can put on your headphones and ignore us for six hours? Not a chance,” Shouyou said stubbornly. “And because it’s different! I heard the deer in Nara eat food right out of your hand!”

“I’ve wanted to go for a long time. It’s supposed to be a beautiful park,” Hitoka added wistfully.

“Fine, I’ll go then, but I’m not suffering through ten hours of cramped, stuffy hell. And I’d be the only one driving, you all don’t have your licenses yet.”

“Probably more like 12 or 13 hours with stops,” Tobio helpfully noted.

“Ooh, if we drive, we could make a detour to stop in Tokyo on the way back more easily, right?” Tadashi said hopefully.

“Just because you want to go to Ikebukuro to be a giant nerd... ” Kei started.

“Don’t call me out like that, Tsukki.”

“Well… you’re going to be living in Tokyo in a month or so anyway, since you're going to Tokai University,” Hitoka put in.

“Hitoka-san! Whose side are you on?!” Tadashi lamented.

“It’s just… maybe taking the train would be the most time and cost-efficient choice?” Hitoka offered.

“Thank you,” Kei said. “At least one of you has common sense.”

“Okay, maybe not to Nara, but we have to go on a roadtrip at some point!” Shouyou said defiantly.

“If I agree with you, can we drop this whole conversation?” Kei asked.

Shouyou responded by sticking out his tongue. 

So, in the end, it was decided that they would take the bullet train (and miraculously, Kei only wore his headphones for two of the six hours).

When they arrived at Kintetsu-Nara Station, it was around noon, and they all unanimously decided to drop their bags off at their hostel first, which was thankfully only a ten minute walk from the station. Luckily, it was peak bloom for the sakura in Nara, which Hitoka was especially excited about. “It’s just so pretty, I can’t wait to take pictures!” she said, her enthusiasm contagious.

“Ooh, you should make a scrapbook for our trip! Like you did for our graduation presents!” Tadashi said. 

Ever artsy, Hitoka had taken the liberty to make each of the four boys their own personal scrapbooks as a graduation gift, highlighting their time together over the past three years. Each page had the most attentive detail; perfectly laid out photos, drawings, paper cut-outs, washi tape, stickers, and hand-written notes. She had admitted to them that the process had taken her a total of six months to complete all four scrapbooks, though didn’t get to say much else as Shouyou and Tadashi tackled her in a tear-filled hug. Meanwhile, Kei excused himself to the restroom and came back with slightly puffy eyes some time later, and Tobio had simply stared at his scrapbook for the next hour.

“I’ll definitely do it when I have the time!” Hitoka agreed cheerfully.

“Then—” Shouyou suddenly exclaimed with an elated burst, “—we need to have the perfect photo ops! Good thing I brought my selfie-stick!!”

Kei rolled his eyes, Tobio shrugged nonchalantly, and Hitoka and Tadashi both laughed.

“You get a maximum of three selfies with me in them,” Kei said, an odd yet subtle threat.

After they arrived and checked in, with everyone complimenting Hitoka on her choice of hostel (quaint, comfortable, and close to the park), Shouyou insisted they not miss a minute at the Deer Park. It was almost as if Shouyou was using his boundless energy to fuel them all. 

They hadn’t even reached the entrance of the park when they encountered their first deer.

“First selfie with a deer!” Shouyou said, immediately turning around and snapping a horizontal picture of him and a distracted Tobio with the deer in-between them.

“Here, let me get one of all of you with him!” Hitoka said, pulling her camera out of her purse. 

“This counts as a selfie,” Kei reminded them, though he was ignored.

“Okay, one-two-three, smile!” Hitoka called out. She had to take three photos though, as Tobio had blinked in the first shot, then Shouyou had sneezed in the second shot.   
Just after reaching the entrance to the park (and after Hitoka, Shouyou, and Tadashi had taken photos with more deer that were moseying along the pathway), Tobio stopped everyone to point at a small stand where deer food could be purchased. 

“Ooh, we can get a map of the park here too!” Tadashi said as they arrived at the stand, taking one to fold and put in his pocket.

Everyone but Hitoka and Kei bought some of the food (Hitoka because she wanted to take more photos, and Kei because he said feeding deer was lame), and within seconds a dozen deer had swarmed Shouyou and Tadashi, both giggling hysterically as the deer tried to eat the food in their hands. Kei snickered as a deer nearly ripped Shouyou’s pants, and Hitoka snapped numerous photos. Tobio stood off to the side, looking crestfallen as only one or two deer approached him, immediately leaving after eating the food out of his hand to swarm other tourists in the park. Tobio next tried and failed to pet one of the deer, at first subtly attempting to get close, but then ended up full-out aggressively stalking it before finally giving up and buying more deer food. Shouyou noticed his lone friend, and hands now empty of deer food himself, reached out to pull Tobio into the fray. The deer ate the food out of Tobio’s hand in an instant, who immediately perked up when they didn’t leave right after.

Kei was taking a picture with his phone of the deer licking Tobio’s hair (which he planned to use as blackmail), when a deer started nibbling on his shirt. “Ugh,” he said, his lip curled. 

“Awww, Tsukki, it likes you!” Tadashi cooed, as Hitoka took a picture.

“You only get one picture left with me in it!” Kei said, his voice coated in annoyance. 

Shouyou, thinking this was hilarious, bought more deer food with Hitoka and ran up to Kei, stuffing the food in his pants pockets. He then doubled over in laughter as about nine more deer approached Kei, who was starting to quickly lose his chill. Tadashi filmed the whole spectacle on Hitoka’s camera. Kei was eventually saved by Hitoka, who lured them away with her own food. One of the deer bowed to her after she ducked her head in thanks. 

“They’re so polite!” she gasped. 

“Here, do it again Hitoka-san, I’ll take a video!” Tadashi said, and she obliged.

“I think… I need a break from feeding the deer,” Kei said stiffly.

They all agreed to cut Kei some slack, and the five of them wandered over to a large pond covered in sakura petals, which at least 15 deer were standing in. “It looks like a Ghibli film!” Tadashi exclaimed fondly. Hitoka hummed in approval and continued to take more photos. “Here, smile!” she said, angling her camera in a way that was able to capture the four boys as well as the deer and petal-filled pond.

“Last picture with me in it!” Kei reminded, with all the politeness of an alarmed porcupine. 

After their group shot, Shouyou, Hitoka, and Tadashi took more selfies in front of the deer pond. Tobio went to buy more deer food, throwing jealous looks at Kei who had somehow attracted more deer and was trying and failing to wave them off. Once Shouyou noticed this, he gleefully started taking a video, though he handed off his phone to Tadashi once he noticed Tobio struggling again to make the deer his friends via food bribery. 

“I think,” Tadashi started as soon as Hitoka had finished snapping shots of Shouyou and Tobio feeding the deer together; “I think we need to buy matching charms!”

“Why this all of a sudden?” Kei asked dryly.

“Because it’s what friends do, Tsukki,” Tadashi said, giving him a pointed look.

“Oooh, that’s a great idea, Tadashi-kun!” Hitoka said enthusiastically. “Besides, I think the shops are closing soon! So we should get some now before we eat!”

There were several shops and food stands lining the paths in the park, so it was easy for the group to find a place to buy their charms.

“Hey, let’s get these omamori that say ‘open luck’! They’re so cool! See, they’re red!” Shouyou exclaimed, holding up one of them to show the others.

“Red isn’t a cool color, it’s a warm color,” Tobio said, causing both Kei and Tadashi to hide muffled laughter.

“I think they’re cool, too!” Hitoka said.

They all, of course, ended up buying the omamori, with Kei commenting; “I’m going to need a lot of luck to deal with you all for this trip anyway.”

“I’m starving,” Tobio said once they were outside the shop, eyeing the food stand across the path. Everyone came to a consensus that they should definitely eat dinner. They split up to all find food to meet their own tastes, with the agreement that they would meet back in front of the shop that they’d bought their omamori from.

Shouyou and Tobio both returned with okonomiyaki, Tadashi returned with yaki imo and takoyaki, Hitoka had bought several dumplings, and Kei had chosen-

“Tsukkkkki, you can’t just eat ice cream for dinner!” Tadashi said, exasperated.

“Watch me,” Kei said through a mouthful of matcha ice cream.

The five continued to walk down the park’s path until they reached a picnic table to eat at (but not before Kei bought a second ice cream cone out of spite).

“Look, we’re super close to the Kasuga Grand Shrine!” Tadashi exclaimed once they’d finished their food, looking at his map. “See!”

Unfortunately for Tadashi, he’d been waving the map a bit too excitedly, and a deer promptly came up and chomped it out of his hand.

“...Well, um,” Tadashi said, embarrassed as Shouyou, Tobio, and Kei burst out laughing.

“It’s- it’s okay!” Hitoka said, a bit frantic. “We’ll just, uh-”

“-Turn around, because the shrine is literally right there,” Kei interrupted, eyebrows raised.

Hitoka and Tadashi, who’d been sitting with Kei on the side of the picnic table facing away from the shrine, both looked over to see it peeking out from behind the trees.

“Photo op!!” Shouyou exclaimed, jumping up to throw away his wrapper. “Race you!” he added to Tobio, who had already started sprinting.

“Some things never change, huh?” Hitoka said as Tadashi hummed in agreement.

“They make me tired,” Kei said.

By the time the three of them had caught up to Shouyou and Tobio, both were (unsurprisingly) arguing over who had won the race. 

“You both won!” Tadashi intervened, even though he knew saying that wouldn’t really work.

Hitoka had a better plan for distraction; “We have to get our picture now, look at the sky!”

Everyone looked up at the pink-and-orange misted sky, highlighting the clouds in soft evening light. The winds rustled the nearby sakura trees, their petals fluttering in the cool spring breeze. 

“It’ll be the perfect picture for sure!” Shouyou exclaimed. “We should use my selfie stick so we can get some deer in the background, too!” 

“We can use my phone!” Tadashi offered, and Shouyou proceeded to attach it to the selfie stick. 

“Kei-kun, you too!” Hitoka said.

“I’ve already been in three pictures to-”

“Tsukki, come on!!” Tadashi and Shouyou said at the same time.

“We need a good group shot with all of us,” Tobio added.

“Just do it without me!”

“Fine,” Shouyou said, snapping a tilted shot as the four of them posed for the picture. 

“I bet you didn’t even get any of the deer in that,” Kei said offhandedly. 

“Then you take it!” Shouyou said.

“Alright, but this will absolutely be the last picture with me in it!” Kei said as Shouyou gave him the selfie stick.

The five of them bunched in a bit closer as Kei angled the camera to catch a couple deer in the background, along with the shrine.

“Smile!” Hitoka said cheerfully.

All five smiled; picture perfect.


End file.
